New Houses - Volunteers needed to jon the house building team

Many of the existing houses are either put together quite crudly or often made from coconut leaf thatching, forest tree trunks and plastic sheets, which offers little protection from the elements. There are no facilities in place for cooking, comfort or hygiene. As with the houses Yearoutindia have built, we aim to construct permanent, stable and safe structure with permanent roof and with basic living facilities, such as a indoor kitchen, doors and windows. The new houses take about 8 weeks to build from the first stone being layed for the foundation to the completed house bieng handed over to the family. Local masons, carpenters, labour and materials sources locally are used throughout and it take a team of 3 - 5 volunteers to manage and finish the work.

What the volunteers will be doing ?

As a volunteer on this initiative you will be staying on site and will build a close working relationship with the tribal community including the families for whom the houses are being built. You can help at all levels from managing the projects, labour, building work and finances. You will also work closely with other volunteers and Yearoutindia staff, giving you the chance to gain new skills, extensive knowledge of working in a new environment, new cultures and perhaps even languages. In addition you will enjoy the unique experience of working in the beautiful area surrounding the beautiful Western Ghat Mountain Ranges.

The development work is on going and we need a min of 2-3 volunteers as soon as possible to help with the ongoing projects and managing building work on-sites. There are local masons and workers who have helped build the first house with lot of experience building houses and they will help with all the work and planning. Volunteers can help at all levels and volunteers who have no prior knowledge or experience of building work can also help at all levels. Our staff and coordinators will help you manage the building project. This is very exciting and challenging placement and volunteers can also come in work / college / friends groups to help at this project site. Volunteers are encouraged to fundraise for this project.

Adventurous volunteers may stay in tents on site, but YOI also has a house nearby which volunteers can use. YOI staff will be present on site and will cook meals for volunteers. Special dietary requirements can be accommodated. After work activities will be in the form of treks, camp fires, BBQ's, games, bamboo rafting etc etc.

This project will greatly benefit the tribal community and also has much to offer the volunteers :

	A unique opportunity to work amongst tribal people and to learn about their culture and way of life.
	Take part in the very unusual and colourful Annual tribal festival in March.
	The satisfaction of creating permanent homes for deserving tribal families.
	The joy of working in an area of outstanding natural beauty in the Western Ghat Mountain ranges.
	A chance to build life-long friendships with people from all walks of life.
	A chance to improve your DIY skills!

Old House

Incomplete House

Lakshmi & incomplete house

Completed house built by Yearoutindia Volunteers

Typical houses in the village